This post was updated Sept. 15 at 7:07 p.m.

Dozens of physicians protested on campus at noon Tuesday to denounce the termination of a Medi-Cal contract that allowed low-income patients to access UCLA Health services.

Nine thousand patients lost access to UCLA Health providers after it did not renew its contract with Health Care LA, a non-profit group of doctors, on June 30, according to the LA Times. Health Care LA connects patients who qualify for Medi-Cal, California’s version of Medicaid, to health centers across the county. 

The Committee of Interns and Residents, a local affiliate of the Service Employees International Union, and Doctors United organized the protest, which coincided with a UC Board of Regents meeting, outside the Meyer and Renee Luskin Conference Center.

“UCLA Health abruptly ending its contract with Health Care LA has been deeply disappointing and frustrating,” said Dr. Nate Bohm-Levine, a UCLA Health resident physician, in a speech. “Children with complex health conditions are at risk for losing access to the specialists that they so depend on.” 

A UCLA Health spokesperson said in an emailed statement that Health Care LA rejected their offer to extend the contract in June, but they plan to work together over the next 12 months to ensure affected patients receive the appropriate care. 

Health Care LA is responsible for helping patients find access to care that their insurance covers, the spokesperson added. 

“Our shared goal is to ensure that patients are connected to the most appropriate available provider and receive timely access to care, while minimizing disruption and supporting continuity throughout this transition period,” they said in the statement.

Health Care LA did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the protest and the contract termination. 

Protesters marched in a circle while chanting, “UCLA don’t play dumb. Healthcare for all, not for some” and, “UCLA don’t pick a fight, healthcare is a human right.” They also held signs reading “UCLA Health Best in the West for Corporate Greed” and “Patients over Profit.”

“It’s a little bit confusing at this point, but my feeling is it doesn’t matter who’s at fault,” Bohm-Levine said. “We just want our patients to be seen again.” 

CIR is demanding that UCLA Health restore affected patients’ access to care, hold a public town hall about the move and create an accountability committee consisting of doctors, nurses, students and patients to provide clarity on why the contract was terminated, said Matthew Hing, a medical student at David Geffen School of Medicine.

“We have the power to change this,” he said. “We have the obligation to do so. Our patients are counting on us.”

Dr. Nicolette Mojica-Concklin, a resident physician at UCLA Health, said in a speech that UCLA did not give doctors and patients the chance to voice their concerns before choosing to terminate the contract.

“We saw a dramatic drop in clinic visits,” she said. “As our patients volume dropped, residents have also lost opportunities to gain the clinical experience we need to complete our training.”

Residents have not been informed of a plan to transition thousands of patients to other institutions where Medi-Cal will cover their care, said Dr. Patrick Samones, a UCLA Health sleep medicine fellow.

Samones, a CIR representative, said he and other doctors are concerned that patients who lost coverage may now turn to the emergency room for care – contributing to an ongoing boarding crisis. 

[Related: Protesting doctors, nurses allege dangerous overcrowding at UCLA hospital]

Bohm-Levine said in his speech that UCLA must serve all of LA – not just patients who pay more for insurance.

“This is a critical moment for UCLA to practice what it preaches and truly take care of this community,” he said. “We are demanding that patients and the healthcare workers who care for them have a real voice in decisions that affect us and our communities.”